India News
In 1836, Danish zoologist Theodore Edward Cantor classified the king cobra as a single species.
But Indian scientists, after 12 years of research, have made a big revelation that the king cobra is not just one, but four different species.
This historic discovery was made at the Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology (Agumbe) in Karnataka by Dr. P. Gowri Shankar and his team, after 20 years of hard work.
1. Northern King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah). It is found in northern India, eastern Pakistan and Thailand. They have 5-70 bands on their body.
Sunda king cobras are found in Indonesia. This snake has more than 70 bands.
The Western Ghats king cobra is found in the Western Ghats of India. It has the fewest bands on its body.
The Luzon king cobra is found in the southern Philippines. It is completely without bands.
Scientists analyzed snakes' colors, scales, and DNA from the Himalayas, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Dr. Gowri Shankar highlighted that the discovery of multiple king cobra species is groundbreaking for snake conservation and ecological research.
Dividing the king cobra into four different species is not only a scientific achievement, but this discovery also completely changes the understanding of this snake.
This discovery proves that Indian scientists are not only contributing to environmental conservation but are also breaking the myths about the world's most dangerous snake.